The Truth of Things
by Empty Pen09
Summary: Alex Vause returns to prison and to Piper Chapman only to be faced with prison politics after stumbling upon a well kept secret relationship.
1. Chapter 1

**I just finished a Flaca/Maritza fic that told their story: Algo como el amor (Something like love), that guest starred Alex and Piper. I thought it would be interesting to see that same scenario but from the other couple's perspective. So this is not exactly the same story, but the same incidents from Piper and Alex's point of view. Give a read and compare notes. It'll only be 2 chapters like the other story but you don't have to read them both to follow it. Enjoy.**

Piper Chapmen expected a glare from Alex when she stepped through the door to Alex's temporary bunk assignment. Alex hated prison, that much had always been clear but Piper had ironically been beginning to settle in. Alex had never settled, had never let her guard down, and had never accepted the fact that that Litchfield was in fact her reality. At least for the foreseeable future. But in True Alex Vause fashion, it hadn't been her reality. In a way only Alex could, she'd managed to spin straw into gold and had turned a ten plus year sentence into merely a couple of months before being set free.

That freedom of course was short lived. Alex had been arrested for violating her probation, possession of a handgun, and had been sent back to 'The Litch' to serve another few months in prison. A minimum of six, but not more than twelve. Piper could only imagine how angry she must be to get a small wisp of freedom only to have it snatched away from her through an anonymous tip. By the look in her eyes she seemed to understand that Piper had been the source of that tip. Piper expected a glare but didn't get it. Instead Alex greeted her with a roll of the eyes.

"We're fucking even me and you. Don't ever bring it up again. Ever."

Piper shrugged, she wasn't sure this exactly made them even. Going to prison had upended her entire life. She'd lost her business, her reputation, her fiancé, and probably her best friend. Alex had only been mildly inconvenienced. Not to mention the fact that inside Piper was almost positive she'd be safe from her drug lord boss Kubra Balik. Inside was the safest place for her to be. At least until another one of Kubra's people saw the writing on the wall and flipped on him causing the entire trial cycle to repeat itself.

Instead of arguing Piper shrugged. "Fine." She hadn't come to fight anyway. With Alex back she knew the woman would need the necessities. Piper had spent the better part of a week getting a welcome basket together.

On her first day inside Morello had given her a tooth brush. It was a nice enough gesture, but it was the last thing she'd gotten for free since she'd been locked up. Inside she and Alex were a team, a small mini crew that had to stick together. Piper hadn't realize Alex was all she'd truly had inside until Alex was gone. She was intent not to make that mistake again.

"How was Chicago?" Piper asked switching gears. Nobody knew exactly where Alex was for the last few months. Rumor around Litchfield was that she wrote Piper often but nobody knew where she'd actually disappeared to or that she'd fucked Piper over again but Nichols, and like last time Piper hadn't mentioned how.

Like no time had passed between them Alex seemed to understand Piper's reasoning for changing the subject. "Chicago was exactly how it was when you left it."

Piper had hated Chicago. At least Chicago's federal prison system. Alex had seemed to do alright but Alex was by and large a survivor. She'd figure out how to survive anything given half a chance.

"They aren't gonna drag us back down there are they?" Piper couldn't imagine having to go back. She didn't figure the government would bother sending her seeing as how she hadn't rolled on Kubra the first time. Then again, you never know. If a new trial happened close to her release date they'd surely threaten her with a perjury charge that would extend her sentence in an effort to get her to testify. Under those circumstances she knew she'd waver. At least the old Piper would have. The Piper who'd grown to accept the fundamental truth of herself would simply settle in for the long haul. Snitching may help you in the short term but if you ever went back inside it would catch up to you quick.

Alex didn't seem to know what the government's plan was and said as much. "I don't know."

"Well I got you some stuff," Piper said ending the conversation. The other newbies inside the room didn't seem to be paying attention but Piper knew they were. Everyone was always paying attention.

Alex inspected the basket with suspicion. Piper wasn't sure what she was expecting but she didn't bother speaking up about it whatever it was. Instead she closed the distance between them and inexplicably leaned in and gave Piper an intimate kiss on the lips.

"Thanks babe," she said as she took the basket and laid it gently on her bunk.

"They were out of shower shoes yesterday but they'll have some tomorrow I heard. We'll get you some then." She pointed to the basket. "The rest of that stuff should tide you over until your money comes in. You took care of that right?"

Alex shrugged. "Not yet. I still have to figure it out. Everything I had is buried under tons of bullshit overseas to keep the Feds from grabbing it. If I reach out for it in here they'll find it and all this will have been for nothing."

Piper understood what that meant. No money coming in anytime soon.

"We'll be fine. I'll take care of us in here," Piper said with confidence.

"And I'll take care of us out there," Alex responded just as confident.

"You always have," Piper said forcing herself not to show any emotion on her face. Alex to her credit started to inspect the basket.

"I need to get myself together, did you get my eyes."

Piper gave the room a careful once over before reaching down the front of her pants and pulling out a black sharpie.

"You're hiding things in your crotch now?" Alex chuckled. "If I'd known THAT'S where you were keeping stuff I'd have dug it out myself." From her bunk DeMarco laughed causing Piper to finally allow herself to smile.

"No, Caputo's been riding everyone's ass about contraband since Miss Rosa escaped. They've been tossing bunks twice a day to get on everyone's nerves. Keep it on you. They're doing pat downs but since Mendez got arrested they avoid breasts and crotches like the plague and almost never give you a strip search unless they suspect you're going to hurt someone."

This seemed to pique Alex's interest. "Miss Rosa escaped? The cancer lady? How the hell did she manage that?"

Piper shrugged. "Who knows?"

DeMarco finally spoke up. "Ah, go ahead and tell her, it's no secret. She stole a car and drove right out the front gate. She did manage to do the world a favor on her way to freedom. She ran down Vee, killed her instantly."

"Okay, and who is Vee again?" Alex asked.

Piper shook her head. "Get settled in. I'll fill you in on everything later."

XOXO

Alex gave Piper's ass a pinch as they stepped through the doors of the prison chapel causing Piper to giggle. It felt like an eternity since she and Piper were last together but it had actually only been a few months. Since they'd 'broken up' Nichols had been the only one she'd been with. Despite Nichols considerable skill she'd been a poor substitute for Piper. Piper had always done something to her body that made her want to scream at the top of her lungs. She was like a drug, so much so that the only thing that had managed to ease her absence when she left was heroin, actual drugs.

Now things had seemed to pick right back up where they left off, before Piper's attempt to choose Larry instead of her all that time ago. They hadn't even bothered discussing that. Piper had seemed to jump into their warped relationship with both feet and seeing her finally free of her mental and emotional constraints made Alex do the same. She had never really gotten over Piper all those years ago so when Piper leaned into her and whispered 'I love you', Alex had admitted defeat and said it back. With Piper was the first time in over ten years that those words had escaped her lips.

Sneaking off to the chapel seemed like the next logical step. The entire prison was off at movie night and since Piper hated Jim Carey, having sex seemed a valuable use of their time instead of forcing her to watch Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

The chapel was usually empty this time of night but between Piper's playful giggles Alex heard shuffling from the stage. It took a moment for what she'd seen to register but her mind began to spin when it finally did.

Alex hadn't had much contact with the prison's Hispanic girls. They did their thing and Alex did hers. What she did notice was that they were an extremely tight knit group and Alex got the feeling that unlike the others they would never let an outsider come between them. She'd never so much as seen an argument between them and even most of their conversations were in Spanish as a way to exclude outsiders and separate themselves from everyone else. They were a mystery to everyone inside yet Alex had spent lots of time in Mexico for business, so she knew some things about the Hispanic culture. One of the most important being that being gay, although not against the law, was a HUGE taboo. If you were gay, you kept it a secret or risked being shunned by everyone. Including family and friends.

Alex's heart began to pound as the small Hispanic girl, whose name escaped her at the moment, climbed off the other girl's lap and jumped from the stage only to come storming down the aisle with determination. Alex knew that look in her eye. It was the same look Kubra had given her in court when she'd testified against him. A mixture of anger, hatred, fear, and disappointment. A terrible concoction of emotions.

Piper was staring at them both, slack jawed and opened mouthed. Alex knew Piper, she'd say something to try to ease the tension but Alex knew anything she said, no matter how accepting and polite, would be seen as threatening to these two. Especially right now, when they'd been caught doing something that could make major problems for them inside with their friends. Piper opened her mouth to speak but Alex grabbed her wrist and gave it a tug and Piper shut up.

"What the fuck you two looking at?" The girl finally asked. Alex could hear the anger in her voice. Usually she'd have something clever to say but she knew prison wasn't the outside. On the outside she had the safety of common sense and the freedom to walk away and avoid someone. On the inside she was stuck with them. When people got scared in prison people died. Even Piper had almost killed someone. Everyone was capable of everything inside.

Alex calmed herself and decided to play it safe. "Nothing. We didn't see anything."

The girl's eyes darkened. "Good, because if I hear so much as a whisper about it I'll gut the both of you." The girl's eyes finally softened but her words didn't. "But I may just fuck you both first." A chill went down Alex's spine when she noticed the girl was laughing.

Her friend, the tall girl with the tear drop tattoo laughed. Alex did remember HER name, Gonzales. Gonzales was suddenly standing a few feet behind her friend and Alex almost freaked when she noticed she hadn't seen her approach. The girl reached out and stroked Piper's hair. She smiled playfully then said something in Spanish that came out too fast for Alex to translate.

In front of her, the shorter girl smiled and responded in English. "Real good," the girl said as she walked up the ramp pushing Alex out of her way as she did so. "Keep your mouths shut. Or I'll shut them for you," she said on her way out the door.

Gonzales followed her still giving Piper a playful smile. "Permanently," she said before disappearing into the hall.

Alex watched them both leave before turning to Piper with open eyed anticipation. "What did Gonzales say to you?"

Piper shuddered, Alex could tell she was freaked out. "That she was going to fuck me good and make me her plaything."

Alex shook her head and let out all of her frustration with a heavy breath. "What the fuck? How can two girls making out totally blow the mood?"

Piper looked towards the door before giving Alex a light push down the aisle towards the stage. Alex wasn't sure if she still hoped to get in a little sexy time but the mood was lost, totally blown by the two girls.

"Piper you can't be serious. Not after that. What if they come back and threaten us again? The last thing we need is a problem with the Spanish girls because we caught two of them making out."

Piper kept pushing her towards the stage but pulled away before they reached the steps. When she stopped she gave another look towards the door and began to shake her head.

"That's not what was going on. You didn't see that?"

Piper looked as if whatever she was talking about should have been common sense but Alex was lost. She wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline or the fear but she was lost.

"See what?"

Piper sighed. "Those two. They weren't just making out. You didn't see how Ramos was straddling Gonzales'? How her hands were locked around her neck. How they were kissing? They weren't just making out." Piper leaned into her with raised eyebrows. "They were MAKING OUT."

Alex was still lost. "What?"

Piper sighed. "They have genuine feelings for one another. That wasn't just you fucking Nichols because you were mad at me. That was me and you in Bangladesh."

Alex's mouth dropped. Bangladesh was the weekend Alex realized she was actually in love with Piper and not merely having fun. It was her most treasured memory, sweet, complete, and romantic. When she was lonely at night it was Bangladesh that she thought about. It wasn't until two months later that Piper admitted that it was that weekend getaway when she understood that she was in love with Alex, and was in fact bisexual.

"Are you serious?" Alex asked. That was a strong statement. "Bangladesh?"

Piper nodded. "You don't straddle someone's hips that way if you're just having a good time. That's too intimate. That's trust and love. Sex is one thing, THAT'S another thing. If you caught me sitting on someone's lap like that would you be pissed?"

Alex nodded with defeat. "Fine. So they're in love. What difference does THAT make?"

"It means they're freaking out right now that somebody knows. If it was just for fun they wouldn't care. They could just beat us up and never do it again, problem solved. But since they're in love they're worried that if we tell somebody they won't GET TO do it again. And they'll do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn't happen."

Alex's heart dropped. "So you think we're actually in danger?"

Piper nodded. "Absolutely positively. If I had the choice of never being with you again or stabbing some girl I don't even know in the shower it wouldn't even be a real choice."

"Shit. Let's not talk about this anymore until we're sure we're alone and can't be overheard. After breakfast, tomorrow in the yard. We'll figure out how to make this right with them then but in the mean time we don't do or say anything about it to anyone."

Piper nodded. "Sure."

"I'm serious Piper, nobody."

"I know. I'm not going to say anything. It's ME that Gonzales threatened to make her plaything, not YOU. I won't say a word."

XOXO

No matter what she seen inside there would always be things that Piper didn't understand about doing time. On one hand fooling around with another girl was totally acceptable for straight girls. There were no men around, at least none the girls wanted to fool around with, so another female prisoner could fill that void in your life. It wasn't about being gay, everybody knew that, it was about being lonely.

On the other hand falling in love with someone in prison was a sign of weakness. Piper didn't get that. It was okay to have meaningless sex with someone but the second it became a real relationship you were suddenly a soft pussy bitch who didn't understand how to do 'good' time in prison.

She considered the situation with the two Spanish girls as she slipped into her bunk and made herself comfortable. Falling in love should be fun and exciting. When she'd fallen in love with Alex it was all she could think about day and night for weeks. Getting to see her was something special, having sex with her was beautiful. That made her feel sorry for the two Spanish girls. Their love was hidden behind lies and fear, protected and hushed from the people closest to them. The very same people who loved and protected them were the same ones that would tease and mock them if they shared the one good thing that had happened to them inside. Prison was a fucked up place. Where else on Earth did you have to be afraid of someone finding out you were in love?

Piper closed her eyes and thought about Bangladesh. She and Alex had spent a fantastic weekend on an island named Nijhum Dwip. It had taken them nearly fifteen full hours to get there. They first had to take a large boat from the main launch to a much smaller one, then they'd had to hire motorcycles to get them to a dock where they'd taken a small boat to the island. It had seemed like a lot of trouble but Alex had insisted it would be worth it. All these years later she still remembered it like it had all happened yesterday. The scary feeling of being on the back of a motorcycle for the first time, the warm sun beating against her face. Staying up late and sleeping in even later. Having sex on the beach with nobody around to see them for miles. The memory made her smile but the smile faded when something heavy crashed against her chest.

When she opened her eyes Flaca Gonzales was standing in her doorway. The tall dark haired girl didn't say a word but her face was menacing enough. She stood there in silence her eyes locked onto Piper. Piper grabbed the bag the girl had tossed at her, afraid to break eye contact. Flaca put her index finger up to her lips as if to say Shh, then walked away without ever saying anything. Piper finally looked down at the bag she was clutching tightly in her hands and saw that it was filled with candy bars. Snickers, Kit Kats, Mounds Bars, Butterfingers. It was as if the girl had robbed a candy aisle.

Prison was a backwards place but some things were universal. The girl was offering her a bribe. It seemingly wasn't enough to threaten her into submission, she was playing it safe by offering her something in return for her silence. Piper almost frowned. This was a smart idea, if they accepted something in return for their silence they'd be forced to stay in line and keep it quiet. To break that deal would make them persona non grata inside. Not to mention she and Alex would both be labeled snitches. The Spanish girls may be exiled from their crew but everyone else would leave them be. Alex and Piper on the other hand would be exiled by EVERYONE. By offering the bribe the girls were playing it smart and safe, but it also weakened their hand because even though Piper and Alex figured out why they'd gotten so angry when they'd been caught, doing anything but threatening them showed weakness. This relationship was their Achilles heel and anybody who found out about it would use it to threaten them. Tactically it was smart but from a pure Power Politics angle it was a mistake. She dreaded the moment she had to tell Alex about it. The woman would surely want to use it to make some sort of statement. Piper considered keeping it from her but only for a second, she and Alex were a team inside and their team didn't keep secrets.

XOXO

Piper sat on the edge of Alex's bunk and watched while Alex laced her boots. Piper was so weird sometimes, she was fascinated by the simplest of things. When they were together she liked watching Alex read. She'd sit for twenty minutes doing nothing but staring at her while she flipped through the pages of a novel. Of course this usually preceded some revelation on her part. Alex read an entire chapter of The Fountainhead before Piper admitted to her that she'd told her parents she was traveling the world with her best friend Polly instead of her drug dealing lesbian girlfriend. Alex hadn't cared about that, why should she? But Piper had fretted over it for almost fifteen minutes.

"What's up?" Alex asked not bothering to look at her. Looking at her only made things worse.

Piper crossed her legs, another nervous tick of hers.

"Gonzales came to see me last night. She stopped by my bunk."

Alex's heart began to race. "What did she want? What did she say?"

Piper shrugged her shoulders. "She didn't say anything. She gave me a bag of candy bars."

Alex's eyes widened then her jaw dropped. "Candy bars?" She didn't understand. Why would they pay them off when the threat had done everything they wanted it to do? Alex hadn't even considered telling anyone about what she'd seen in the chapel. They'd won. Giving them something, or paying them off, was a huge step in the other direction. That showed Alex that they were desperate for their secret to be kept. They were covering all their bases because being together was more important to them than being blackmailed.

"Alex leave them alone," Piper said softly. Piper had always been a sucker for a love story.

"I haven't done anything," Alex said defensively. She hadn't, not yet anyway.

Piper sighed. "They're afraid. Scared people do dumb things. You know that. Them bribing us doesn't change the fact that they could stab us both in the shower to ensure we're never able to tell on them."

Alex hadn't exactly considered that. Piper was right. This was a stupid thing for them to do but it showed desperation, and desperation was a bad thing. She'd been desperate when she'd ratted on Piper and Kubra. Both had been mistakes. Well Piper definitely, Kubra less so.

She pushed herself off her bunk and stood up. "Let's go get breakfast and we'll talk about this afterwards, in the yard."

Piper nodded with enthusiasm then changed the subject. "I talked to my dad. My grandmother left me some money when she died. Quite a bit in fact. I had my father put some into your commissary account."

Alex wanted to laugh. "Your father gave me money?"

"No, I gave you money. He just sent the Western Union. He asked me if I was sure I could trust you but when I told him I had it handled he said okay."

Alex had never met either of Piper's parents. Piper had met her mother before she'd died but when the issue of being introduced to Piper's family came up Piper always made excuses as to why it couldn't happen. Alex knew it was mostly because they didn't know about her, and Piper being Piper her image was more important than the truth. Still the idea of her talking about her openly with her parents and friends seemed to be a step in the right direction.

Alex exited the bunk and head towards the cafeteria with Piper closely behind. "So they know everything?" She looked over her shoulder between strides. "Your parents I mean?"

Piper nodded. "Since I first came inside. I told them everything when I got arrested. My grandmother was the only one who didn't seem disappointed. She wanted to hear all about the trip."

"She didn't disown you for associating with the criminal element?"

Piper shook her head. "No. Honestly, I think they always expected me to get mixed up in something. I mean when I told them they sort of just looked at me with," she shrugged. "I don't know, relief."

"It could be worse," Alex said as they walked down the empty halls. "You could have been disowned. At least you know they love you."

"They told everyone I was on an African Safari but everyone knew it was bullshit," Piper said amused. "When I got furlough my entire family was slyly asking questions about being in prison. My aunt kept talking about drug lords and severed heads, my cousin Carol kept talking in prison slang."

Alex laughed out loud. "Really? God I wish I had known you were out. I would have totally come, they'd have been freaked out. I could have introduced myself as your drug dealer girlfriend."

Piper chuckled. "Well when we get out I'll introduce you at the next family get together."

Alex gave her a look over her shoulder as they stepped into the cafeteria and walked to the end of the serving line. "Promise?"

"Sure," Piper responded back as someone across the room yelled out.

"STOP," someone had said, and the entire room had done just that.

The Hispanic girl, Ramos was her name, stepped around the counter carrying a tray of food. Gonzales had done the same behind her and Alex's mind began to search for the proper reaction. They were both heading in her and Piper's direction and something in Alex's mind clicked. They were making a bold statement, in front of everyone. Stopping breakfast for everyone and coming around the counter to serve them both was as big a statement as could be made. Intent not to let the opportunity pass or even worse, show disrespect to the gesture, Alex decided to play along.

"Oh you shouldn't have," Alex said with a smile.

Ramos ignored her comment but blew her a kiss that made Alex's skin crawl. "One week and we're square."

One week of being served breakfast at the table instead of waiting in line was more than Alex could have asked for but so as not to seem unworthy she pressed the young girl for more.

"Two weeks."

Ramos didn't flinch. "One. Breakfast AND dinner."

Alex decided to quit while she was ahead. The entire prison seemed to be watching. She turned to Piper who had taken her tray but was looking it over with suspicion. She was surely expecting this to be some sort of trick. "What do you think Piper? Breakfast and dinner, one week."

Piper ceded quickly. "That's fine. The bag of candy bars on my bed was a nice touch."

Gonzales laughed. "I know how much you white girls like sugar."

Ramos laughed right along with her and Alex assumed this was some sort of inside joke. "Do we have a deal or should I make other arrangements?"

The question made Alex uncomfortable. The only other arrangements that could be made was violence. If she didn't agree it would make much more sense to simply beat them up. She decided not to take a chance.

"We have a deal. One week, consider us officially square," Alex said loud enough for everyone to hear. Ramos and Gonzales didn't stick around for small talk heading deliberately back to line to get back to work. In the distance Watson began to complain.

"Why the fuck are they getting special treatment? We're in line over here," the often ornery girl said. Alex assumed this wasn't exactly a big deal to her or anybody else, Watson just liked to complain. Alex knew lot of people like her on the outside. Angry, tough talking, loud mouths, more often than not they were cowards who used a surly disposition as a shield against aggression and trouble. For all her tough talking Alex had never seen Watson get physical with anyone, and doubted she ever would.

Gonzales answered the complaint quickly and in a way that everyone in prison understood meant it wasn't up for discussion.

"Hold your horses already. Business is business," the girl said with commanding confidence. Gonzales, Alex knew, was the type of girl who was not to be trifled with. The tear drop tattoo on her face, which she hadn't bothered to explain, lead Alex to believe she'd earned it through some act of violence. The girl was a bit creepy and had a way of looking through you as if you weren't there. Piper said the girl's advice column in the now defunct prison newsletter often had to be censored because her 'solutions' often required violent responses to simple problems. Out of the two of them Alex feared her more than Ramos. Ramos was aggressive but she was small, Alex could probably take her in a fight. Gonzales would probably kill her without blinking an eye.

Intent to keep up the ruse Alex turned to Piper and made a big show of her 'victory'.

"After you my lady," she said as she led Piper to an empty table and sat down for breakfast. The entire room was staring at them but Alex could handle that. A huge part of being successful was attitude. If you acted important people treated you as if you were important. If you acted as if you deserved something usually nobody questioned it. She pushed the attention to the back of her mind and enjoyed her breakfast as if what had just happened was par for the course. It was what someone in her position was supposed to do.

XOXO

Piper wanted to scream. Nichols had made herself comfortable beside Alex and even though she understood their sexual shenanigans wouldn't be repeated Piper couldn't help but think about them together. She wasn't in a position to complain about it, she'd chosen Larry over Alex in a foolish attempt to salvage a life she thought she was supposed to have. She'd practically pushed the two of them together. It likely didn't mean much to either of them, Nichols slept with anybody, and Alex was on the rebound, still it hurt seeing them together.

"You've been back what, less than 48 hours, and you've already made quite the splash." Nichols was smiling, she was always smiling and Piper wanted to reach across the table and smack her in the mouth.

"Just settling in," Alex said diplomatically. "Not trying to step on any toes."

Nichols nodded as she sipped her tea. "I know. Red was just curious."

Alex gave her a careful look. "Tell her don't be. Tell Red I'm not open for business of any kind. I just needed everyone to understand who Piper and I are. I heard things got a lot weird while I was away. A stabbing, an assault, cigarettes, drugs. I just want everyone to understand what sort of reach we have on the outside and what sort of influence we can wield on the inside if we were so inclined."

Piper wanted to groan. "But we're not. We want to do our time quietly."

Alex shrugged. "You heard the lady."

Nichols nodded. "What exactly did you do for the Mexicans?"

"Hispanics, they're not all Mexican. And I promise discretion above all else. If you want to know, ask them."


	2. Chapter 2

Piper's brother Cal was taller than Alex expected him to be. If Alex had to guess she'd say he looked like his father, because he and Piper didn't look anything alike. He smiled when she stepped to the table and if Alex didn't know any better she'd have thought they were old friends. She actually did feel as if she knew the guy, during their time together Piper talked about him constantly. Apparently he was prone to odd ball behavior and half-baked theories. Piper even admitted that he'd gotten married during their grandmother's funeral. Alex had laughed when she'd heard that one, but having never been to fond of funerals she didn't see a problem with it. Piper to her credit didn't seem to care, according to her their grandmother would have gotten a kick out of it.

"Congratulations, I heard you got married," Alex said doing her best to sound friendly. She wasn't sure why Cal had wanted to get on her visitors list but him being Piper's brother made it impossible to say no. Not to mention she wasn't at all busy. Any break from routine was welcome.

Cal nodded with pride. "Yeah, finally decided it was time to settle down. Neri's actually here with me but they won't let her inside. There's some sort of mix-up with her paperwork."

Alex almost laughed. Mix-up with paperwork was seemingly code for couldn't pass the appropriate background check.

"Oh that's too bad. Tell her I said hello and congratulate her for me too."

Cal nodded still beaming with pride like a lighthouse. "I will, I will."

Alex didn't respond, she wasn't sure what this little meeting was about but she figured now was the time to get to it. Cal seemed like a nice enough guy but at the end of the day he was a Chapman, and from what she knew of Piper's family this meeting had ulterior motives.

"You're taller than I thought you'd be. And prettier." He shrugged. "I don't know what I expected but the way Piper talks about you I just expected somebody more." He seemed to give up and let the comment fade.

"Butch," Alex said answering for him.

Cal laughed. "Actually yeah. I expected somebody more butch. Drug dealers don't look like you back where I'm from."

"Distributor actually. I didn't actually sell the drugs. I just moved them from one place to another."

"Is that what my sister did?"

Piper was inside for conspiracy, which in cop talk meant she was probably guilty of stuff they didn't catch her for. Conspiracy was such a large umbrella almost anything could constitute it and the cops took advantage of that wholeheartedly. Piper had committed one crime, nearly ten years ago, yet here she was, locked up for conspiracy.

"Your sister carried 50 thousand dollars in drug money from one place to another. One time. Almost ten years ago."

Cal seemed to nod. Apparently he expected some other tale. Some non-edited version of the story Piper had already told him no doubt.

"That's what she said she did."

Alex gave him a confident nod. "That's what she did."

Alex could see Cal's face pondering, thinking, going over the inevitable question in his mind. Did she rat Piper out? She knew the question was coming. But the room was too full of inmates and family members, too many ears. She decided to beat him to the punch. If he asked the question somebody would overhear and the mere idea of him asking was enough to sink her reputation inside. It would make her a target and a victim. She couldn't have that. Not now.

"I know what you're going to ask me, and I have to ask you not to say it. Not here. Just you asking me is bad. But I can do you one better and say yes. Yes, it's true. I would love to explain to you why but I don't really have a good excuse. I'm a selfish bitch, and I was upset. That's why I did it. Do I regret it? Yes and no. Yes because it was mean and thoughtless. No, because it all worked out in the end and it brought us back together."

Cal's face had been thoughtful during her speech. She could see in his eyes that he was more interested than angry. He wasn't here to rake her over the coals or to yell and scream, he was just interested.

"Do you play Go Fish?"

Alex almost scoffed. It had been years since she'd played Go Fish. "Not in years."

Cal only nodded and pulled an old warped deck of Star Wars playing cards out of his breast pocket. "I got these when I was eight. I saved up two weeks of allowance, skipped school, and walked two miles to get them. I knew one day they'd be worth a lot of money and I told Piper that they'd send me to medical school so I could be a doctor," he laughed. "I know, a doctor. Never mind my grades were shit and I didn't think twice about skipping school to get my Star Wars on, but still, I had a plan."

He took a deep breath and began to shuffle through the cards. "Anyway I kept talking about how much they were gonna be worth one day and how I was gonna be rich. I guess Piper got annoyed because one day I came home from school and my Princess Leia Queen of Spades was missing. I searched high and low for the thing but I couldn't find it. I asked Piper about it and she looked me right in the eyes and told me that maybe it got blown up by the Death Star along with Alderaan." He began to deal the cards. "I know I wasn't ever going to go to medical school. College wasn't even for me, and truth be told I played with the damn things every day so they wouldn't have been worth much anyway. But even as a little kid Piper couldn't stand not having her way. Years later when she moved away for college my mother was cleaning her room, you know, getting rid of the old kid stuff she had stashed away. Hidden underneath her dresser my mother found three decks of Star Wars playing cards. Still in the plastic, never opened, vintage condition. Piper had hidden them there years ago, then I guess she forgot all about them. My mom mentioned it to me, said she'd tossed them in the trash so I drove over, dug them out and put them on EBay."

"No kidding, how much did you get?"

Cal smirked as he slid the cards across the table to her. "After selling all three, I got about a hundred grand."

Alex whistled. "Holy shit."

Cal nodded. "I used the money to buy my land and my trailer. My own slice of paradise. Moral of the story is, I love my sister, but fuck her, she had it coming."

Alex laughed. "Did you ever tell her?"

Cal nodded. "Of course. I told her she can have this old set if she wants it. Although it won't be worth much without Princess Leia. She just laughed. Then she said don't be surprised if she puts her own trailer on that land one day."

"That's our girl, selfish to the core." Alex wanted to be surprised but she wasn't. Piper was inherently Piper. She had never, and would never change. She was selfish and narcissistic and cruel to the point of heartlessness when she wanted to be but Alex wouldn't have it any other way.

He picked up his hand of cards and began to inspect them. "It wasn't until she got arrested for all this that she admitted to me that she'd stolen the damn things in the first place." He looked up at her over his cards. "What you did, don't think twice about it. Who knows what else she's pulled and gotten away with over the years. She's not Al Capone, but she's not Princess Di either. She's always been a schemer, we've always known it. My grandmother always said her brother was the same way. That's why Piper was her favorite, her brother ended up doing 15 years in Sing Sing for bookmaking. She loved him anyway, just like I love Piper anyway. Doesn't mean she isn't right where she belongs."

XOXO

Alex was attempting to be cagey. Her visit with Cal had put her in a great mood but when Piper asked what exactly had transpired between them Alex had only admitted to playing Go Fish and talking about Star Wars. It seemed a stupid thing to keep a secret but Alex was all about secrets.

"Why won't you just tell me? We don't keep secrets from each other, that was the rule. Inside we have to always be united."

Alex moved her red pawn forward four spaces on the Sorry game board, landing on the same spot as one of Piper's yellows and moved Piper's yellow pawn back to the starting position. She stared at the board as if confused about something before looking up at Piper distracted.

"I am. We played Go Fish and talked about Star Wars. He told me the story about the Princess Leia Queen of Spades and how you stole it so he wouldn't be able to go to medical school."

Across the room Leanne and her dim witted friend exited the room. Piper hadn't had one conversation with them since her fight with Doggett. Leanne, Alex's old bunk mate, hadn't even acknowledged her existence, which according to Alex was exactly how she wanted it. Of course they'd eventually have to talk because Alex was angling on getting her job back in the laundry. This was a problem for another day of course, as it stood right now Leanne was pretending as if they were complete strangers.

"I did not steal his dumb card. He lost it and blamed it on me. Did he tell you he owes me a hundred grand?"

Alex nodded, her attention still focused on the board. "He did. We talked Piper. We talked about my dad, and my mom. I told him about us and our life together. We talked. He's your brother, what do you think happened? Do you think I gave him a hand job under the table?"

Piper forced herself not to scowl. "It wouldn't be the first time two people who are supposed to care about me stabbed me in the back."

Alex pulled another card but instead of moving her own pawn moved Piper's.

"What do you care about Larry and Polly? Of course he fucked her Piper. You broke his heart, she's your best friend, its text book revenge. I feel sorry for her to tell you the truth. Maybe it's real, maybe it'll last for fifty years. But more than likely it won't. It's more likely he'll wake up in a year or two, or five, and realize loving her was all about getting back at you. Meanwhile you won't really give a shit about either of them anymore and he'll see he's actually the asshole you always thought he was."

Piper couldn't argue with that. She expected this sort of bullshit from Larry, deep down underneath it all he wasn't the tortured saint he made himself out to be. He could be an incredibly selfish asshole at times. Polly on the other hand had broken her heart. Polly had been her best friend for more than fifteen years and her betrayal had hurt. In all the years she'd been with Pete Piper had never even considered sleeping with him. Even now that they were on the outs and Piper was mad at Polly she'd still never cross that line, ever. It wasn't about Larry, it was about not being able to trust her anymore.

"I don't care about them. I just want to know what you guys talked about." It was a lie, a bold faced lie but Alex didn't beat a dead horse and graciously changed the subject.

"Well I told you, we talked about everything. You, me, us, him, Star Wars, your grandmother's brother, the bookie. We got to know one another. If you and I are going to be together it's important that I have a relationship with at least one member of your family. Your parents aren't going out of their way to get to know me."

Piper finally relented. "Cal's great. He doesn't judge. It's great to have a brother like that. When I was on furlough he said he'd drive me to Mexico if I needed him to. Even though he said it would be stupid for me to run."

"God I still can't believe you got furlough. The entire prison thinks we've got all these moves because of shit like that. It makes us look like we got more juice than we actually do. This morning that girl Brook asked me if there was anything she could get for me."

Piper's face twisted into a frown. "Soso. That little bitch."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Not like that. She knows we're together. She's looking for protection. She can't find a wife. She wants to know if she can sit with us from now on. She said she would ask you but she's afraid you're going to try to sell her again."

Piper's frown faded. "God, one little misunderstanding and she can't let it go." Soso was being such a crybaby. She didn't even get hurt. Boo didn't touch her. It wasn't like she set the girl up to get gang raped in the shower or something.

Alex didn't bother responding. "I figured we owed her. But I told her she can't talk so much because you thought she was annoying. I think her feelings were hurt but she thinks you're a horrible person anyway."

Boo had said the same thing after that incident. 'You're a horrible person Chapman.' The words had stung at the time but Piper decided she wouldn't let it bother her. Not now. She was in prison and in prison she HAD to be a horrible person. Soso needed a bit of toughening up. She'd actually done the girl a favor. You didn't have any friends inside, if you were lucky you had a crew who would look out for you. Trust wasn't something you just gave away. The sooner the girl figured that out the better.

Alex pulled another card and moved another pawn across the board. She smiled from the result seemingly getting an acceptable result before looking up at Piper for approval. Her smile faded almost instantly, her eyes squinting behind her dark framed glasses.

Piper felt the chair beside her move then almost gasped as Gonzales wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She tried to pull away but the girl's arm only stiffened and pulled her closer. Her words echoed in Piper's head. 'You can be my new plaything. I'll treat you real good baby'. She shuddered.

Across the table Ramos made herself comfortable in the seat beside Alex. Piper watched as she folded her hands and placed them right on top of the board game, scattering pieces everywhere. Alex looked as if she wanted to say something but whatever it was she kept it to herself.

"Hey. We were playing that." Piper said doing her best to make her point without giving off the vibe that she intended to do ANYTHING about it. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with these girls.

Ramos ignored her and looked over at Alex with a slight smile. "You're in charge right? I mean when I'm talking I'm talking to YOU?"

Piper noticed the slight almost immediately. What did they think that she was just some lackey, or worse just Alex's piece of ass. That had been okay with Alex's boss Kubra and his friends but it wasn't okay here. She'd more than proven herself in here.

Alex must have sensed Piper's annoyance because she looked across the table at her and attempted to shut the slight down. "You're talking to both of us."

Ramos didn't budge. "That's what I figured. YOU'RE in charge."

Alex laughed nervously. "Whatever."

Still smarting over the slight Piper decided to take the initiative. "What do you want?"

Gonzales leaned into her and sniffed her hair causing Piper's heart to pound ferociously in her chest. The girl scared the hell out of her and if she decided one day that Piper belonged to her she couldn't imagine fighting her off. If the girl decided that Piper was her new bitch it would either be fight her off or submit and the chill that the girl sent down Piper's spine made fighting her impossible. She was terrified of her.

Gonzales leaned into Piper and whispered in her ear. "You smell so good. Why do you waste your time with this one? Me and you can have some fun right?"

Piper shifted uncomfortably in her seat giving Gonzales a look out of the corner of her eye. Gonzales looked so calm and in control Piper felt like she wanted to run. It wasn't as if the girl were ugly. She was attractive but there was a predatory vibe that she sent off that made her absolutely creepy. Piper couldn't help but remember the way she'd recommended incredibly violent solutions to mundane problems in the prison newsletter.

"What do you guys want? We already have a deal, you don't have to keep threatening us every five minutes. It's getting tiresome." Piper could hear the annoyance in Alex's voice. She was getting angry.

"Don't worry. Flaca won't hurt her. She's super gentle." She looked across the table at Piper and met her eyes. "It only hurts at first."

Alex's face betrayed all her emotions but something inside Piper seemed to click. They were doing this on purpose. They were trying to throw Alex off her game. Ramos was working on Alex while it was Gonzales' job to keep her occupied with creepy sexual threats. What the hell did they want? They were here for a reason, this wasn't a social visit, or merely another opportunity to threaten them. They wanted something from them and figured Alex was the way to get it. For some reason they didn't want to speak to Piper.

Alex however played right into their hands. "Look. We haven't said anything. Nothing. To anybody. Why are you guys freaking out?"

Gonzales whispered softly into her ear again. "Maybe I been hearing things. Maybe I'm not convinced you can keep your mouth shut."

Piper could see Alex was going to break. They'd figured her out. The more they threatened Piper the more upset she got. That was what they were hoping for. These two were sneaky. Really fucking sneaky. It was no wonder nobody knew they were messing around with each other. They were a perfect team working in complete synchrony. Perfection.

Piper decided now was the time to turn the tables on them. She had to take away their advantage.

"Look." Piper whispered to Gonzales. "We think it's great that you two are in love with one another. We don't want to do anything to ruin that. We just want to HELP you."

Across the table Ramos scowled and Piper knew she'd hit the bull's-eye.

Alex saw it instantly and joined in on the assault. "Yeah, look, your secret is safe with us. We won't bother you guys, you guys don't bother us. It's a win-win."

Piper reloaded her barrels and blasted away. She looked at Gonzales with a smile. "I understand why you're so jumpy. Alex and I have spent a lot of time in Mexico. I know how your culture views stuff like this. I mean if any of your friends were to find out," she began to shake her head and threw in a frown for good measure.

Alex reloaded her gun and fired another round of her own. "It would be a disaster for you guys."

Ramos closed her eyes and sighed and Piper almost jumped out of her seat. Down she goes. Alex's veiled threat had been the knockout punch. If their friends found out they were toast, everyone at the table knew it.

Still so as not to create a permanent enemy Piper threw them a quick bone. If you knock an opponent down make sure he's down for good or you were in trouble because if he gets up he's going to get up angry. Piper knew these two would never stay down. They were too crafty and had too much to defend. If they regrouped and returned she and Alex wouldn't be able to stand up to them again.

"But lucky for you guys we're your friends. We're here to help you guys. So tell us what your concerns are and we can alleviate them."

Across from her Gonzales' body language shifted. She went from hard and cold to content and defensive. Another knock down.

"We want assurances," Ramos said quickly. Much too quickly for Gonzales' taste. Piper saw a flash of disappointment in the girl's face. The momentary flash told her everything she needed to know, she and Alex had won. Piper wouldn't give them a chance to turn the tables. She was intent on keeping them down. Across the table Alex had all but clasped both hands over her mouth so as not to break the momentum.

"We already gave you assurances. We had a deal. You guys delivered on your end and we're keeping quiet. As far as we knew everything was fine. Now if you're hearing rumors they aren't coming from us." She looked across the table at Alex for confirmation. Alex would never say anything, nothing. Piper knew she wasn't talking.

Alex quickly shook her head. "I haven't said a word. To anybody. We haven't even talked about it to each other after that first night."

Ramos looked as if she were going to explode. Beside her Gonzales sighed and shook her head, then laid it out for them straight.

"Okay, here's the deal. We squared things between us but it put us in a bind. Now all of a sudden people are asking questions. They want to know what exactly we got that would require such a public display of gratitude."

Alex seemed to understand. "And you want us to what, come up with a story? Is that what this is about?"

Ramos dusted herself off and continued the fight.

"Fuck yeah. You owe us that. You're walking around like big shits meanwhile we have to dodge questions from everybody. We need you to end this by giving us something."

Gonzales softened the blow. "It doesn't have to be real. All it takes is a plausible story. Something that will end the questions and get people talking about something else."

"Yeah, I mean suppose there was a little business you wanted to get running inside, this would be a perfect starting point."

Alex's eyes widened with interest and Piper quickly shut her down.

"We're almost out of here. We don't need a business." She exhaled. "As a sign of good faith and for a promise to stop threatening us with violence we have a deal."

Alex made a face that said she wanted to press for more perks from the girl but Piper knew it was better to be done with this whole thing. Fighting with the girls was a mistake. They'd gotten lucky this time that they'd figured out their game plan. If they came back they wouldn't take any prisoners.

Ramos seemed happy with the deal and jumped to her feet quickly. "Good."

Gonzales finally let go of her shoulder and smiled. "We could have had so much fun together," she said in Spanish as she pulled away.

Hip to her game Piper laughed. "You two really are cute together you know."

Gonzales gave her a playful glare. "Just remember what I said."

Ramos had regained her footing and went back on the offensive escalating the situation from playful to threatening with very little effort.

"Flaca would like to avoid a trip to the SHU if at all possible. Honestly I thought we should just give you both a few good lock in socks across the head to keep you in line but she said you'd be reasonable." She looked at Alex with a menacing glare. "So how about it puta, you gonna be reasonable?"

Alex nodded. "Consider me the voice of reason."

Piper wanted to laugh but something about the situation didn't seem funny. Alex watched the girls leave, her eyes squinting with interest as she did. When Piper turned to the doorway she saw that Aleida Diaz had shown up at some point in the negotiations. She wondered how much of the meeting the woman had heard and felt her concern grow for the girls.

XOXO

"Those girls give me the fucking creeps. I don't know what you did but you took those bitches down Piper. I'm so proud of you," Alex said from her bunk. She wasn't a thrill seeker but next to heroin making a deal was the ultimate high. If she could do that all day she'd never feel the need to get high again.

"Those two are dangerous. Did you see how well they work together? Ramos was negotiating with you while Gonzales threw me off my game. Every time I opened my mouth she was all over me with creepy bullshit."

Alex shrugged. "You figured it out."

Piper shrugged. "We need to be rid of those two. Now. Did you see Diaz in the doorway? She's watching them like a hawk. They aren't kidding, they're catching heat from this. We need to help them."

Piper was such a drama queen but deep down Alex knew she was right. The Hispanic girls had made good on their part of the deal so she had to see do the same. At the very least to keep them from showing up and constantly giving her the creeps.

"Fine. We'll figure something out."

Piper finally smiled. "We make a pretty good team too you know."

Alex reached out and grabbed Piper by the hand. "I know. And we never did make it to the chapel the other night."

Piper pulled her by the wrist. "I'm not busy now."

Alex didn't fight her. "Let's go, it's not like we got someplace else to be."

XOXO

"What kind of shitty ass mother misses her daughter's first birthday?" Ramos said to Gonzales in Spanish as she slid the dinner tray in front of Alex. Gonzales frowned, ignoring Piper as she did the same. The entire cafeteria was at a standstill but unlike the first time it had happened the room was far from silent.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Mari. You made a mistake, and when we get out of here we'll throw her a big party with clowns and a pony and a giant birthday cake that says Happy Birthday Julianna on it. Just be strong now," Gonzales responded in Spanish.

Ramos nodded. "We can get her the pug. Kids love dogs."

Gonzales nodded. "We can totally get the pug. She even gets to name it."

Piper watched them walk away before giving Alex a look. Alex was picking through her food oblivious to the conversation that she'd just missed. Since they'd been together the two of them had made plans on how life would be once they got released. Alex insisted they skip town immediately so Kubra couldn't find her, Piper wasn't so sure but if push came to shove she'd run if Alex asked. They'd come up with an entire plan, a complete life. From the looks of it Ramos and Gonzales had done the same. They wanted what everyone wanted. A life, a family, and a dog. It didn't seem like much to ask for.

"I know what we give them."

Alex gave her a curious look but didn't ask any questions. "Just tell me what you want me to say."

XOXO

The recreation room went silent when Alex stepped inside. The entire Spanish crew was inside playing dominoes. From the looks of things they were having some sort of tournament and Alex's first instinct was to ask to join. But she knew better. If they wanted her to play they'd have asked her to play. For her to ask to join would only be setting herself up for an insult. It would only make her look weak. If she wanted to play she'd have to find someone else to play with.

"You got a minute Ramos?" Alex asked. The room seemed to stop and stare at her when she asked and she felt the need to run.

Ramos didn't respond right away. Alex watched her face free itself from emotion. Ramos was stuck, she didn't know what to say. Luckily Gonzales stepped in to save her. Piper was right. They were a well-oiled machine.

"Is it done? Or are you here to make more excuses?" Gonzales asked.

Alex seized the moment to put this show to bed for good. She doubted Piper's plan but she knew better than to fight her. Piper had a way of getting her to do her bidding and Alex couldn't hold up to her constant badgering. Besides Piper had set this deal up, if it went bad it was her fault. She thought it best to just do as she was told.

"You're the one who wanted a fucking clown. How am I supposed to find a damn clown from in here Gonzales?"

Ramos' eyes widened but Gonzales didn't flinch. She was as cold as ice. "I don't care you said you could."

Alex waved the comment off with her hand. "Well it's done. Ramos call your daughter and ask her if mommy sent her a clown and a birthday cake."

The results were instant. Across the room someone gasped and Alex could see the collective hearts in the room melt. "You sent your baby a clown? Aw, that's so sweet."

Ramos got with the program and gave Alex a glare. "I don't know. Maybe. This bitch could be lying."

The entire room seemed to glare at her again.

"Hey if her daughter didn't get her clown we're gonna beat your ass," The older of the two Diaz's said with hatred in her voice. Alex wasn't sure what's she'd done to HER but decided to stay away from her from now on.

She raised her hands in surrender. "She got it. My word is good."

"It better be or we want twice our money back," Gonzales added for emphasis.

Mendoza, the kitchen boss, sneered in her direction. "And we don't feed you or Chapman for two weeks. Breakfast or dinner since you didn't come through."

Deciding to quit while she was ahead and comfortable the girls could handle things from here she made a phone with her hands and turned to exit the room. "Call home and confirm. Find me if there was a problem and we'll make it right."

Alex disappeared into the hall and decided from now on despite her faults that she should listen to Piper. She may be a complete mess on the outside but inside she had the place pretty well figured out. She may get on people's nerves every once in a while but she somehow always seemed to land on her feet. It was such a part of life that the other girls stopped assuming she was blowing the guards for favors and started assuming she knew things they didn't about getting along. It didn't hurt that rumors were starting to spread that her last trip to the SHU involved her bringing down Assistant Warden Figueroa.

Alex knew Piper didn't walk on water and most days flew by the seat of her pants but none of that mattered inside. Inside she got things done. Inside Piper Chapman was somebody. She could finagle Furlough from the guards, bring down a warden, nearly kill another inmate and just keep on ticking. She'd told Alex a few days ago that she would take care of them inside and Alex was confident she would and could. From here on out she wouldn't doubt her words. On the outside Alex could turn water into wine. Inside Piper could. They were a perfect team. Yin and Yang.

**Wow. I didn't know how extremely difficult this was going to be when I started it. I wrote the other story on a whim: Algo como el Amor (Something like love), I love Flaca and Maritza together, but it came smoothly. This story was much more difficult. Having to match the scenes and recapture the dialogs and body language and explain behaviors from two different points of views. Crazy difficult. Go figure. Still it was fun, if you've read my other stories you know I like to do something different every once in a while so I'm always up for the challenge. Keep your eyes open for me and I'll return soon. ~Empty Pen~**


End file.
